Woodson Named National Ambassador; Back to Work for NBA Winner Robin Benway

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [Toy Fair 2018 | Registration Is Open]( In the News [Jacqueline Woodson Named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature]( Newbery Honor author Jacqueline Woodson has been appointed the sixth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. The inauguration ceremony will take place on January 9 at the Library of Congress, where Woodson will accept the torch from the outgoing Ambassador, Gene Luen Yang. “I am excited for the young people’s reactions and the interactions that we’ll have around literature," she told PW. [more]( Book News [Back to Work for NBA Winner Robin Benway]( Following a couple of tumultuous months celebrating a big win—the 2017 National Book Award for Far from the Tree—Benway has just signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins for her next two YA novels. We spoke with Benway about returning to her writing desk after an eventful year. [more]( [Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen by Deborah Hopkinson]( Obituary [Brooke Goffstein]( Marilyn Brooke Goffstein, award-winning author-illustrator and fine artist, whose work was published under the name M.B. Goffstein and Brooke Goffstein, died on December 20, 2017—her 77th birthday—following a long illness. Edite Kroll, Goffstein’s literary agent, said, "Brooke never changed in her artist’s determination to get things right." [more]( Galley Talk ['The Mad Wolf's Daughter']( Kenny Brechner, owner of Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers in Farmington, Maine, recommends The Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras, a middle grade adventure set in medieval Scotland. Sure, it’s true that The Mad Wolf’s Daughter is a middle grade fantasy with feminist elements, a strong young heroine, an informed exploration of relevant social issues, and the transposition of established gender roles, but it is the book’s great storytelling that makes all its components shine. [more]( [Request a Wordy Birdy Storytime Event Kit]( Q & A [Melba Pattillo Beals]( In 1957, Beals made history when she was selected to be one of nine Arkansas students to integrate Central High School in Little Rock in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. Now, in March Forward, Girl, a book for young readers, Beals documents her experiences growing up black in the 1940s Jim Crow South. Beals spoke with PW about revisiting her past, and what she hopes readers will glean from her new book. Q: Was it a challenge to reach back in time to recreate this memoir? A: Yes, since in order to write the story I had to relive it. At the same time, I have been blessed with a very good memory. Writing this book allowed me to bring the past into the forefront. [more]( Literary Events [Select Book Conferences, Festivals, and Fairs in 2018]( The new year brings a slew of publishing conferences and events for the industry insider and rabid reader alike. Click through for our roundup of some of the biggest ones, including children's and YA-centric gatherings. [more]( Out Next Week [Hot Off the Presses: Week of January 8, 2018]( Hitting shelves next week are a picture book about a lively city night, a biography about a classic children’s book author and his nifty neologisms, and a high-stakes sequel in a YA dystopian series. [more]( SPONSORED [PW KidsCast: Listen Now]( Francisco X. Stork, Andrea Beaty, Dan Santat, Julie Fogliano, Christian Robinson, Philip C. Stead, Matthew Cordell – listen to these and other top writers and artists discuss their new books for children and teens in the PW KidsCast podcast. [Click here]( to listen. For more about these and other great jobs, visit the new [PW JobZone]( now with resume hosting and more! - [Publisher - HarperCollins Christian Publishing - Nashville](. - [Marketing Manager, Adult Trade - Abrams Books - New York](. - [Associate Publicist - HarperOne - HarperCollins Publishers - San Francisco](. - [Nonfiction Reviews Editor - Publishers Weekly - New York, NY](. - [Cover Design Director - Callisto Media Inc. - Emeryville](. Rights Report Ali Fisher at Tor Teen has acquired Five Midnights in July by Ann Dávila Cardinal in a two-book deal. A twist on a Caribbean boogeyman myth set in contemporary Puerto Rico, the novel features a girl who is forced to spend the summer with her police commissioner uncle. While following his investigation into a series of grisly murders, she uncovers an ancient evil beyond the rule of law. Publication is set for 2019; Linda Camacho at the Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency handled the deal for world English rights. Cardinal will be donating a portion of her advance to post-hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Hannah Allaman at Disney has bought Nina Moreno's debut YA contemporary novel, Saint Rosa of the Sea, pitched as Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic, in a preempt. The women in Rosa's family are cursed: her abuela is exiled from Cuba, her mother is reckless, and Rosa is forbidden to go to the sea. Rosa dreams of finally seeing their island, but her study abroad plans crumble amid political changes just as she crashes into a quiet boy from the docks. Publication is planned for summer 2019; Laura Crockett at Triada US Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world English rights. Lauren Smulski at Harlequin Teen has acquired Mara Rutherford's debut YA fantasy, Coral and Pearl, in which a young woman from a village in the sea must impersonate her twin on land to save everyone she loves from a tyrannical prince. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Uwe Stender of Triada US brokered the deal for world English rights. Erin Stein at Macmillan/Imprint has bought, at auction, North American rights to Snazzy Cat Capers, an illustrated chapter book series by Deanna Kent, illustrated by Neil Hooson. The series follows the heists and hijinks of the world's number one cat burglar. In the first book, Ophelia von Hairball and her fishy inventor compete with Ophelia's nemesis to steal a giant diamond from a Paris mew-seum. Book one is slated for September 2018; Gemma Cooper of the Bent Agency represented the author and the illustrator in the three-book deal. Neal Porter at Holiday House has acquired Kevan Atteberry's picture book, Ghost Cat, the story of what happens when a beloved kitty is gone and yet not-gone, for his new imprint. Publication is set for summer 2019; Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights. Ariel Richardson at Chronicle has bought world rights to Jenn Bailey's (l.) A Friend for Henry, illustrated by Mika Song. Making friends is daunting for Henry, a boy on the autism spectrum. His best efforts are often misunderstood, but after an art project mix-up, and a Circle Time setback, Henry finds a way to build a friendship. The book is planned for spring 2019; the author was represented by Rosemary Stimola, and the illustrator by Erica Rand Silverman, both of Stimola Literary Studio. Christy Cox at Sasquatch/Little Bigfoot has acquired world rights to What Is It Like to Live on an Island? by Emma Bland Smith (l.), illustrated by Elizabeth Person. The picture book follows a child through a day in the life on the San Juan Islands, off the coast of Washington State. Publication is scheduled for April 2019; Essie White of Storm Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself. Jessica Burgess and Peter Phillips at Tundra Books have bought world rights to 7 Ate 9 author and StoryStorm creator Tara Lazar's (l.) Your First Day of (Circus) School, a twist on the first day of school where a kid receives advice from his older sibling on how to get along in circus school. Melissa Crowton will illustrate; publication is slated for summer 2019. Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator. To see all of this week's deals, [click here](. IN THE MEDIA [From School Library Journal:]( Children's Publishing Reckons with Sexual Harassment in Its Ranks. [Click here]( [From Bustle:]( Joyce Carol Oates's Comments on Sensitivity Readers Reveal Deep Misunderstanding in Literary Community. [Click here]( [From ABC News Online:]( From 'Sleeping Beauty' to 'The Frog Prince': Why we shouldn't ban fairytales. [Click here]( [From Hypable:]( Most anticipated queer YA books of 2018: Hypable's top picks. [Click here]( [From Paste:]( 10 of the Most Anticipated Young Adult Books of 2018. [Click here]( [From the Smithsonian:]( The Remarkable Influence of A Wrinkle in Time. [Click here]( [From the New York Times:]( Planned Obsolescence: An essay about technology, politics, and fiction, by M.T. Anderson. [Click here]( [From the Bookseller:]( British author Michael Morpurgo was knighted in the New Year's Honours List. [Click here]( [From Mental Floss:]( Study: Kids Who Read Harry Potter Grow Up to Be Better People. [Click here]( [From Book Riot:]( 7 Young Adult Anthologies to Look For in 2018. [Click here]( SHELFTALKER Kenny Brechner [Heard at the Store – ‘Do You Have Regular Books Too?’]( Notable utterances overheard at ShelfTalker bookstores during the last week of the holiday season. [more »]( Elizabeth Bluemle [Many Happy Returns?]( For booksellers and publishers, it’s a mixed greeting this time of year, to be sure. [more »]( Cynthia Compton [And So We Stand Resolute]( Avoiding New Year’s resolutions in favor of celebrating the everyday successes of our bookselling efforts. [more »]( Meghan Dietsche Goel [And to All a Rebellious Good Night]( Closing the year with an appreciation for the series of the season. [more »]( FEATURED REVIEWS [They Say Blue]( Jillian Tamaki. Abrams, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-2851-8 A girl weighs what she’s been told about the world against what she observes and knows, leading to more questions and contemplations. Working in lush, watery acrylics, Tamaki, initially paints the girl on a windy beach. She admits that the sky and sea look blue at the moment: “But when I hold the water in my hands, it’s as clear as glass.” [more]( [Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World]( Ashley Herring Blake. Little, Brown, $16.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-316-51546-7 After 12-year-old Ivy’s rural Georgia home is obliterated by a tornado, she heads to a shelter for the night with her family. There, Ivy ends up hanging out with her classmate June, a budding poet who admires Ivy’s drawing talent. The same night, Ivy’s treasured notebook goes missing—a book where she brought all her secrets to life, including the fact that Ivy thinks she likes girls. [more]( [The Pros of Cons]( Alison Cherry, Lindsay Ribar, and Michelle Schusterman. Point, $18.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-338-15172-5 In this entertaining and sometimes slapstick testament to the power of friendship, three teenage girls—each attending a different convention held in the same location—help each other overcome their respective conflicts. Working seamlessly in alternating POV chapters, Cherry, Ribar, and Schusterman deliver a laugh-out-loud romp that finds humor and drama in three very different fields of interest. [more]( [Children of Blood and Bone]( Tomi Adeyemi. Holt, $18.99 (544p) ISBN 978-1-250-17097-2 Book one in the Orïsha Legacy trilogy, Adeyemi’s devastating debut, is a brutal, beautiful tale of revolution, faith, and star-crossed love. Eleven years ago, King Saran cemented his grip on the throne by banishing magic from Orïsha and slaughtering the realm’s maji—Zélie Adebola’s mother included. The maji’s descendants have lived under tyranny ever since, but now there is cause for hope. Thanks to information gleaned from Saran’s kindhearted daughter, 17-year-old Zélie has a chance to restore magic to Orïsha and activate a new generation of maji. [more]( [Emergency Contact]( Mary H.K. Choi. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-5344-0896-8 Unlike her flirtatious Korean mother, Penny Lee doesn’t have much of a social life, but she hopes that things will change when she goes off to college to pursue becoming a writer. She soon meets Sam, her roommate’s 21-year-old uncle, who works (and lives) at a local coffee house. They barely know each other, but, after Penny catches Sam in a vulnerable moment, they agree to be each other’s emergency contacts. Soon, they are exchanging texts and sharing secrets they’ve never divulged. [more]( [Jabberwalking]( Juan Felipe Herrera. Candlewick, $22.99 (144p) ISBN 978-1-5362-0140-6 Using the made-up words of Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” as a jumping-off point, former U.S. poet laureate Herrera shows children how riotous verbal exuberance births poetry: “whatever pours out of your bubbly burrito head down to your paper pad thing or liquid screen.” He’s full of bold techniques for releasing the poems inside his readers, and his own free verse zigs, zags, and leaps, punc­tuated with scribbled drawings, playful grammar and spelling, and detours into interplanetary surrealism. [more]( TALES FROM THE SLUSH PILE [SEE ALL]( January 4, 2018 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Wings of Fire - The Dragonet Prophesy]( [Request a Wordy Birdy Storytime Event Kit]( [Request a Wordy Birdy Storytime Event Kit]( PeopleHanna Otero has been appointed publisher of Lonely Planet Kids, effective January 8. She was most recently editorial director of Sterling Children's Books. Kristen Luby has joined Macmillan Children's Publishing Group as marketing manager in the school and library department. Previously, she was a marketing associate at Penguin Random House Audio. For a look at all of December's job moves, including new hires and promotions, [click here](. In the Winners' Circle The Explorer by Katherine Rundell has won the U.K.'s 2017 Costa Children's Book Award. The prize has five award categories (novel, new novel, biography, poetry, and children's book), and one of those five winners is chosen as the overall Book of the Year. The Explorer was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in the U.K., and by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. For more information, [click here](. Mark Your Calendar The New-York Historical Society will host a special exhibit in honor of the 20th anniversary of the U.S. publication of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry Potter: A History of Magic, a British Library exhibition, will run from October 5, 2018 through January 27, 2019. Museum members can reserve advance tickets beginning February 14; advance tickets for the general public will be available in April. For more information, [click here](. SNEAK PREVIEWS Have you checked out our Spring 2018 Sneak Previews? Take a look ahead at some of the big titles for young readers due out this season, [in our exclusive roundup](. In Case You Missed It [PW's Most-Read Children's and YA Stories of 2017]( [more]( [A Roundup of 2017's Best Book Lists for Kids and Teens]( [more]( [Twitter Events Connect Agents and Writers]( [more]( [Forty Years at the Forefront for the Children's Book Shop]( [more]( On-Sale Calendar New year, new reads with January's upcoming releases, including Love by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Loren Long, Dr. Seuss's Book of Colors, the latest Pinkalicious title, and a Batman novel by YA author Marie Lu. Old cat friends come back, with Bad Kitty Camp Daze by Nick Bruel and James Dean's Pete the Cat and the Cool Caterpillar. The comic book series Black Panther gets a YA novel added to its canon in time for the film adaptation, with Ronald L. Smith's The Young Prince. Also hitting shelves are The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, the young readers edition of Notorious RBG, and Black Girl Magic: A Poem by Mahogany Browne. For more January titles, check out PW's [On Sale Calendar here](. 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